As the harness racing stakes season turns for home, there is great excitement leading into many of the sport's premier events. This weekend, there is a plethora of guaranteed pools offered by the Strategic Wagering arm of the USTA that is certain to create added interest in these events.

Guaranteed pools, big carryovers and great stakes action are certain to not only increase interest in these pools, but will also increase interest in the events themselves.

Saturday, Sept. 15

Running Aces
• All-stakes $100,000 guaranteed Pick 5 pool (races 8-12)
• Carryover $41,769, mandatory payout
• 20% takeout
• 20-cent minimum
• First post 6 p.m. Central
• Minnesota Night of Champions

Hawthorne
• $20,000 guaranteed Pick 4 pool (races 10-13)
• 15% takeout
• 50-cent minimum
• First post 7:10 p.m. Central
• Final leg of Night of Champions qualifying

Sunday, Sept. 16

The Red Mile
• All-Stakes $10,000 guaranteed Pick 8 pool (races 3-10)
• Mandatory payout
• 15% takeout
• 20-cent minimum
• First post 3 p.m. Eastern

The Pick 8 consists of eight $250,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes finals. An all-stakes $5,000 guaranteed Pick 4 pool (races 7-10) is also offered.

Delaware County Fair
• $5,000 guaranteed Pick 4 pool (races TBA)
• 15% takeout
• First post 1 p.m. Eastern

Hawthorne
• $30,000 guaranteed Pick 4 pool (races 6-9)
• 15% takeout
• 50-cent minimum
• First post 7:15 p.m.
• Final leg of Night of Champions qualifying

Strategic Wagering is proud to partner with these racetracks to offer higher guaranteed pools. Not only has The Meadowlands broken the $100,000 plateau on a regular basis with their Pick 4 pools in 2018, but Pompano, Hawthorne and Cal-Expo each break through the $50,000 barrier with their guaranteed Pick 4 pools with no carryover.

These guarantees, combined with low takeout, the new tax laws on withholding and free program pages courtesy of TrackMaster have resulted in these pools growing rapidly. The ultimate goal is to get the popularity of the events to grow rapidly in popularity with them.

Free program pages along with a schedule of Strategic Wagering events can be downloaded for free on the Handicapping tab at www.ustrotting.com.

(USTA Strategic Wagering)